Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to visit India this week

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is expected to be in India next week, as both countries firm up ties. Her visit to India comes days after the visit of Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles visited India. This year marks the 5th anniversary of India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and is expected to be the visit of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to India for the Quad summit.

The Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has been to India several times, including in November 2024 for the 15th Australia-India Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue. That was her 19th meeting with India's foreign minister, Dr S Jaishankar. A number of events are being planned during her Delhi visit, including outreach programs.

From defence to trade, from Mobility and Migration Partnership to Work and Holiday visa Program, both countries have been working in a range of areas, as Australia diversifiesits partnership in the Indo-Pacific, and India looks to up its engagement in the wider Pacific. Australia has extended its solidarity with India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, despite being in the middle of a very intense election campaign, reached out and called Prime Minister Modi to express his country's support.

During the visit of Deputy PM Marles, India had cautioned Australiaover engagement with the Pakistani military over its links with China. Later, speaking to Australian media, Marles had said that Australia has "modest" defence linkages with Pakistan. Interestingly, Pakistan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza plans to visit Australia later this month. Delhi has sought Canberra's support both bilaterally and at multilateral fora, such as at IMF, World Bank, FATF, and UN, to expose Pakistan's support to cross-border terror.